Cattle-stanchion.



R. C. WAEHLER.

CATTLE STANCHION.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. I9I7.

?atented June 11, i918.

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Elim-m13 R. C. WAEHLER. CATTL STANCHION. APPLICATION FILED IuIY 23,19I7.

Patented June 11,` 198.

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" PATENT ldlltllm RAYMOND c. WAEHLER, or Loivrrnn, wisconsin.

CATTLE-STANCHION.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. W-xnrr- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lomira, in the county of Dodge and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cattle-Stanchions, of which the following lis a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to cattle stanchions, and the general object of the invention is the provision of means wherebya plurality of stanchions may be closed and locked at one operation of an actuating lever or simultaneously opened b one actuation of the lever.

A further object is to provide in combination with the mechanism above referred to means whereby any individual pair of stanchions maybe locked in closed position and cannot be opened by the actuating lever so that the other stanchions may be opened or closed independently of the locked stanchions.

Another object is to provide a stanchion which is mounted tor free rotation in a horizontal plane, the stanchion being brought back to its normal position by means of springs or like members.

A further object is to provide a stanchion which is adjustable as to Width and which is adjustable also toward or from the supporting frame of the stanchion to therebyT provide for alining cattle properly within the barn.

A further object is to provide very simple means whereby all of the stanchions may be shifted into either closed or opened positions and provide means for lifting the shifting means from actuation.

Other objects will appear in the course of the` following description. l

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pair of stanchions and stanchion operating mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, one of the stanchions being shown as locked from opening and the other stanchion being shown as unlocked and open;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construction illustrated in Fig. l;

F ig. 3 is an elevation partly in section of the upper portion of the stanchions and operating means showing both stanchions locked by the common stanchion operating mechanism Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 5

Specification of Letters Patent. Patntdl Jun@ 11, 19t@ Application filed July 23, 1917.

Serial No. 182,312.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the upper end of .one stanchion;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the locking clevis;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the means for supporting the lower end of the stanchion, one of the members 19 and the stanchion bar 15 being separated to show the details of construction; and

F ig. 8 is a top plan view of the slides 3-1 and 35 and locking members 37, the slides being laterally separated.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the concrete curb or floor and mounted on this curb or floor is the main frame, comprising the uprights 11 and the longitudinally spaced beams 12 and 13, which are bolted or otherwise secured to the upper ends of the uprights at any desired intervals. Mounted at their lower ends upon the curb or floor 10 and at their upper ends disposed between the beams 12 and 13 are a plurality of stanchions, designated generally 14:. Each of these stanchions comprises two outwardly bowed vertically extending lateral bars 15. The lower ends of these bars are operatively supported upon a U-shaped upwardly extending yoke 16, the base of which is slotted as at 17, and passing through'this slot is a bolt 18, which is disposed in a recess in the floor l0, the base of the yoke resting upon an adjustable wear plate 1S provided with a plurality of openings for the bolts, which hold it to the floor and a plurality of openings for the passage of the bolt 18. Thus by shifting the wear plate, the stanchion may be arranged for long or short animals and at the same time, the stanehion will swing freely to an extent limited by the. slot 17.

Pivotally mounted on the upper ends of the yoke are the oppositely disposed pairs of ears 19, which have a plurality of perforations and the lower ends of the members 15 are perforated and disposed between these ears and held in place by pins 20. This arrangement permits the lower ends of `the bars 15 to be adjusted so as to space the bars a greater or less distance from each other. At the same time, it will be seen that each stanchion is pivotally mounted for movement around the bolt 18 and at the same time may be swung by means of the slot in the base of the yoke 16. The upper end of each of the bars 15 is carried by an elbow 21. One leg of this elbow is provided with a plurality of perforations 22 and the upper end of this bar is engaged with this elbow by means of' a pin 23 passing through these perforations. By this means the upper end of each bar 15 may be adjusted inward or outward. The inwardly extending leg 24 of leach elbow is likewise perforated and a vertically disposed section 25, which forms the upper end o'lz the stanchion bar, is engaged within the leg 24 and is adjustable therein by means oi a bolt 2G. The upwardly extending section 25 is approximately semi-circular in cross section so that when these upwardly extending members or sections are brought together, the combined sections will constitute what may be termed a trunnion operating within the space between the two bars 12 and 13 and rotatable within this space. Springs 27 are attached each at its outer end to one of the bars 12 and 13 and at its inner end these springs are connected to the upwardly extending members 25 and yieldingly resist any rotation of the stanchion and tend to bring the stanchion back into line with the frame.

The bars 12 and 13 are provided with a plurality of pairs of perforations 28, there beingi a pair of perforations for each stanchion and U-shaped clevises 29 are adapted to be disposed through these pairs of perforations, each clevis when so disposed locking the stanchion bars from movement away from each other. Each clevis is provided with transversely extending notches 30 and 31, and pivotally mounted upon the face ci the bar 12 is a latch 32, which when shifted downward engages in the notches 30 or 31 and holds the clevis from withdrawal. When this latch 32 is in the notch 30, the clevis is held in its inward position and in locking position. The notch 31 permits the clevis to be held when it is 'withdrawn from its locking position. The keeper 33 is also provided so that thelatch 32 cannot be pushed outward when it is in its operative position. When it is desired that all of the stanchion bars shall be operated by the same actuating device and operated*simultaneously either to open or close them, the clevises 29 are not used. These clevises are only used when it is desired to lock ione or more of the stanchions from operation by means of `the actuating mechanism now to -be described.

Slidably mounted upon the bars 12 and 13 are the slides 34 vand 35, which are held in place by means of the guide stri-ps '36, which are attached tothe beams 12 and 13 and extend over these beams. These, of course, do not prevent the slides lfrom shift.- ing longitudinally, but merely hold them upon the track formed by the rbeams 12 and 13.

Pivotally mounted `upon the :slides 34 and 35 are a `plurality of :pairs kof locking members 37, each pivoted `at 38 and angularly bent at its free end and then formed with a cross bar 39, which is long enough soas to rest upon the upper face of the slide. There is a pair of these locking members 37 to each of the stanchions and the downwardly extending portions 40 of each locking member are normally disposed on each side of the upper end of the stanchion. These locking members, however, may be turned over to the position shown at the right, F 1, and under these circumstances release the stan-- chions so that they may be opened or closed without reference to the movement of the slides 34 and 35. It will now be seen that assuming that the members 37 are in their stanchion engaging position, then it will be obvious that shifting the slides in opposite directions will cause the members 37 of each pair to approach each other or recede from each other and that when they approach each other, the stanchion bars will beclosed and locked and that when they recede from each other, the stanchions may be opened by the animal withdrawing his head from between the stanchion bars.

For the purpose of operating these slides 34 and 35 in opposite directions, I provide a crank shaft 41 which is rotatably mounted upon the end of the 'frame and it carries oppositely directed cranks 42 and 43. The crank shaft is provided with a lever or handle 44 whereby it may be operated. The crank 42 is connected by a chain or other flexible connection 45 to the slide 35 and the crank 43 is connected in a like manner to the slide 34 by a connection 46. When the crank shaft is rotated, one of these flexible connections -will be tightened, while the other will be slackened and in order to provide for a direct pull upon the slides, these flexible connections pass oveil pins or rollers 47 extending outward Afrom the frame. A pivoted latch 48 is mounted upon the slide 34 and engages with a detent lug 49 mounted on the frame and when so engaged prevents a sliding movement of the slide 34 which would tend to open or release the stanchions. The opposite ends of the slides 34 and 35 are connected to each other by a chain 50, which passes around a pulley 51 mounted upon the frame at the end thereof. Thus it will be obvious that when the crank 41 is rotated in one direction, one slide will be drawn forward while the other will be drawn rearward, that is the slide will be shifted in an opposite direction, and that upon a movement in the other direction, the reverse operation will take place, this movement providing for a locking of the stanchion bars or an unlocking of the stanchion bars.

The use of this invention will be obvious. If it be desired to operate some ci the stanchions automatically so as to release the cattle confined thereby but retain certain cattlc, then those stanchion bars which are designed to retain the cattle are held in their locked position by means of the clevises 29, Under these circumstances, an operation of the slides 34 and 35 will not release those locked stanchion bars, but only release the bars not locked by the clevises. It will be understood that the locking of any stanchion `'bars by means of the clevises does not in any way affect the operation of the slides,'

nor the release or locking of the other stanchion bars by the action of the cranlg shaft al. If a certain pair of stanchion bars is locked by means of the slides 34 and 35 and by means of the latches 37, and it be desired 'to unlock this pair of stanchion bars, then the latches 37 are turned over to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l, whereby the stanchion bars will open.

Some of the advantages of my invention are as follows: The stanchions open and close together by one single movement of the crank operating handle or they can be opened and closed separately. As soon as the stanchion bars are closed together, each stanchion may revolve as on a pivot. Each stanchion has afull turn and also a forward and back swing at its lower end just as soon as it is closed. One or any numb'er of animals can be locked into their stanchions and the other animals released by operating the crank shaft. If, on the other hand, one animal is to be let out, this may be done by releasing one stanchion and the other stanchions will remain operative by the crank shaft and handle. It will be seen that the mechanism is very easy. to operate, thatit may be cheaply and strongly made and that no twisting` strains come -upon the stanchion.

"While` I have illustrated a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that many changes mav be made in minor details without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim is .1. A construction of the character described including a supporting frame, a pair of stanchion bars mounted upon said frame for movement toward or from each other, slides mounted upon the frame in spaced relation to each other and movable in opposite directions between which slides portions of the stanchion bars project, and a pair of members pivoted each upon one of said slides and rotatable in a vertical plane from an inoperative position directed away from lthe stanchion bars to an operative position directed toward the stanchion bars, whereby when the slides are shifted in one direction, the stanchion bars will be engaged by said members and will be shifted toward each other and when the slides are shifted in the opposite direction, the stanchion bars will be released.

Q; In a stanchion, a supporting frame, a

pair of stanchion bars mounted for movement toward or from each other in said frame and rotatable in a horizontal plane, the bars including trunnion members to which the bars are adjustably connected for movement toward or from said frame.

3. In a stanchion, a. supporting frame, a pair of stanchion bars having inwardly extending ends, a supporting member for the lower ends of the bars and having laterally projecting ears pivoted to said supporting member and in which the lower ends of the stanchion bars are adjustable to increase or decrease the distance between the lower ends of the stanchion bars, trunnion members for the upper ends of the stanchion bars, and angular members adjustably engaging the upper ends of the stanchion bars and ad justably engaging said trunnions, whereby the stanchion bars may be adjusted to increase or decrease their normal distance from each other and adjusted nearer or farther from said trunnions.

4. In a stanchion, a supporting` frame including a base and parallel beams disposed above the base, a stanchion comprising two upwardly extending bars having their upper ends bent toward `each other, trunnions connected to the upper ends and extending upward between said parallel beams, the lower ends of the bars being operatively pivoted to each other and having swiveled engagement with the base, said trunnions when the bars are closed being rotatable between the beams, and springs attached to said beams and operatively connected to the stanchion bars, said springs yieldingly resisting a rotation of the stanchion bars, and means for locking the stanchion bars in their closed position, but permitting the rotation of the stanchion bars.

5. In a stanchion, a supporting frame comprising a base, uprights and parallel beams mounted upon said uprights, a stanchion comprising two upwardly extending bars having their upper ends inserted between said beams, the lower ends of the bars being operatively pivoted to each other and having swiveled engagement with the base, the upper ends of said bars when the bars are closed beino' rotatable between said beams, means yieldingly resisting a rotation of the stanchion bars, means for locking the stanchion bars in their` closed position, said means including a clevis insertible through the beams on each side of the upper ends of the stanchion bars, and means for locking said clevis in place.

6. In a stanchion, a supporting frame comprising a base, uprights and parallel beams mounted upon said uprights, a stanchion comprising two upwardly extending bars having theirl upper ends inserted between said beams, the lower ends of the bars being operatively pivoted to each other and having swiveled engagement with the base, the upper ends of said bars when the bars are closed being rotatable between said beams, means yieldingly resisting a rotation of the stanchion bars, means for locking the stanchion bars in their closed position, said means including slides mounted upon the upper edges of the beams, manually operable means for shifting the slides in opposite directions, and members pivoted upon the slides and disposed on opposite sides ofr the upper end of the stanchion to engage each with one of the stanchion bars whereby when the slides are shifted in one direction, the stanchion bars will be shifted toward each other and when the slides are shifted in the other direction the stanchion bars will be released.

7. In a stanchion, a supporting frame coinprising a base, uprights and parallel beams mounted upon said uprights, a stanchion comprising two upwardly extending bars having their upper ends inserted between said beams, the lower ends of the bars being operatively pivoted to each other and having swiveled engagement with the base, the upper ends of said bars when the bars are closed being rotatable between said beams, means yield'ingly resisting a rotation of the stanchion bars, means for locking the stanchion bars in their closed position, said means including slides mounted upon the upper edges of the beams, manually operable means for shifting the slides in opposite directions, members pivoted upon the slides and disposed on opposite sides of the upper end of the stanchion to engage each with one of the stanchion bars whereby when the slides are shifted in one direction, the stanchion bars will be shifted toward each other and when the slides are shifted in the other direction the stanchion bars will be released, and means for locking the slides from movement.

8. In a stanchion, a supporting frame comprising a base, uprights and parallel beams mounted upon said uprights, a stanchion Comprising two upwardly extending bars having their upper ends inserted between said beams, the lower ends of the bars being operatively pivoted to each other and having swiveled engagement with the base, the upper ends of said bars when the bars are closed being rotatable between said beams, means yieldingly resisting a rotation of the stanchion bars, means for locking the stanchion bars in their closed position, said means including slides mounted upon the upper edges of the beams, manually operable means for shifting the slides in opposite directions, members pivoted upon the slides and disposed on opposite sides of the upper end of the stanchion to engage each nase-,sae

with one of the stanchion bars, whereby when the slides are shifted in one direction, the stanchion bars will be shifted toward each other and when the. slides are shifted in the other direction the stanchion bars will be. released, the means for operating the slides including a crank having oppositely projecting arms, Hexible connections from said arms to the slides, and means for rotating the crank, the opposite ends of the slides having a flexible connection to each other and a roller over which said flexible connection passes.

9. In a stanchion, a base, a pair of upper supporting beams, a yoke mounted upon the base for rotation and sliding movement, oppositely projecting pairs of ears pivoted to the upper end of the yoke and having a plurality of perforations, stanchion bars having inwardly extending lower ends engaging between said ears, pins holding said stanchion bars in adjusted position between said ears and passing through said perforations, angularly turned elbows adjustably mounted upon the upper ends of the stanchion bars and including laterally extending perforated ears, and upwardly extending stanchion bar sections adjustably mounted between said ears, there being a pin passing `through the sections and said perforations to hold them in adjusted positions.

l0. In a stanchion, a base, a wear plate mounted thereon and adjustable upon the base, a yoke disposed upon the wear plate, a bolt passing upward through any one of the perforations in the wear plate and through said yoke, the yoke being longitudinally slotted, stanchion bars pivotally mounted upon said yoke, and means engaging the upper ends of the stanchion bars, saidstanchion bars being adjustable toward or from said means.

l1. In a stanchion, a base,l an upper supporting beam, a pair of stanchion bars yoperatively mounted upon the base for movement toward or from each other and having upwardly extending members at their upper ends-engaging `with said beam, and means for locking the stanchions in closed position comprising a U-shaped clevis insertible through the beam on each side of said upwardly extending end portions of the stanchion bars, said clevis having notches in its legs, and a latch pivotally mounted upon the beam and movable into a position in said notches to prevent the withdrawal of the clevis.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RAYMGND C WAEHLER Witnesses E. H. NABER, META HERBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained forve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

